The Wheel Thing

The greatest rivalry in roller derby history could come to a head this weekend when the Continental Divide & Conquer 2011 Women's Flat Track Derby Association Championships roll into the 1STBANK Center in Broomfield, where the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls' 5280 Fight Club --- the defending champ -- is angling for a rematch with the Oly Rollers from Olympia, Washington.

"I'm really excited to see them play again this year, because the finals last year were so intense," says Lexie White, spokeswoman for the Denver Roller Dolls, the event hosts. "RMRG won by one point at the buzzer, and it was definitely the craziest roller derby bout I've ever seen."

The Oly Rollers have seen some redemption in 2011, beating the 5280 Fight Club on its home rink at the Fillmore in early October and again in finals at the Bridgetown Brawl West Region Playoffs last month in Portland, Oregon. Before any rematch, though, 5280 will have a fight on its hands: The team will battle the Nashville Rollergirls' Music City All-Stars in round one today at 3:45 p.m., then face East Region champs the Gotham Rollergirls or South Central Region champs the Texas Rollergirls tomorrow morning if our hometown heroes make it to round two. And if the brackets shake out right, they'll be defending the Hydra Trophy in the finals on Sunday at 4 p.m.